Paisley Daily Express

Surge in serious road crash casualties sparks plea for urgent action

- STEPH BRAWN AND ANNIE GOUK LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTER This crash involving an Audi was one of many accidents on Renfrewshi­re’s roads last year. Picture by www.paisley photograph­s.com

The number of people being killed and seriously injured on Renfrewshi­re’s roads is at an eight- year high, according to fresh statistics.

Data from the Department for Transport shows there were 208 casualties overall on roads across the region last year, which is the lowest number seen in the last ten years.

But the number of serious casualties is on the rise. A total of 58 people lost their lives or were severely hurt on the area’s carriagewa­ys in 2019, which is an increase of almost a third from the year before and the highest figure seen in almost a decade.

Those casualties included two deaths, one of which involved a child who was killed while walking.

Meanwhile, 56 people were injured enough to be admitted to hospital or require treatment for things like fractures or burns.

The figures also indicate people in cars make up the majority of road users who are hurt or killed in Renfrewshi­re. They accounted for 123 of all casualties in Renfrewshi­re last year.

In response to the alarming statistics, road safety charity Brake has stressed that there are not enough measures being brought in by local authoritie­s to improve walking and cycling opportunit­ies.

Bosses have also called for the urgent introducti­on of 20mph default speed limits in towns and cities.

Renfrewshi­re Council insisted it is committed to facilitati­ng active travel and will continue to look at ways to make roads safer.

A council spokesman said: “The safety of road users is paramount and we are happy to investigat­e all measures which could make our roads infrastruc­ture in Renfrewshi­re safer.

“We have made a record investment in our roads over the past five years, which has improved the network and we are also committed to facilitati­ng safe active travel for pedestrian­s and cyclists, with new cycle routes added in almost every community in recent years.

“We work closely with Police Scotland to learn from any incidents to ensure our roads remain safe and will continue to do this in future.”

Chief Inspector Darren Faulds, of Police Scotland’s road division, added: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and Police Scotland is committed to working closely with our road safety partners to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured.

“We regularly conduct road safety operations to improve driver behaviour, educate motorists and other road users, as well as carrying out enforcemen­t activity where required.”

Across the UK as a whole, there were 153,158 casualties on roads in 2019, down from 160,597 the year before and the lowest figure seen since records began.

Within that, deaths fell slightly from 1,784 in 2018 to 1,752 last year - although the overall trend in fatalities has been broadly flat since 2010.

At the same time, the number of people being seriously injured has increased from 25,511 to 25,945 in the last year, and the figure is at a ten-year high.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “The tragic circumstan­ces of the pandemic created a unique opportunit­y to seize the initiative on road safety.

“While some measures to improve cycling and walking have been introduced, it has not been nearly enough and the increase in traffic levels, post- lockdown, indicates this opportunit­y for lasting change has been squandered.

“We urgently need 20mph default speed limits in towns and cities, zero tolerance limits for drink-driving and, most of all, a coherent and holistic approach to managing safety on our roads, with targets to eliminate death and serious injury for good.”

Transport Minister Baroness Vere added: “Road casualties are the lowest they’ve been for 40 years and the number of deaths has also reduced.

“While this news is encouragin­g, this government will continue to work tirelessly to ensure our roads are made even safer still.”

We urgently need 20mph default speed limits in towns and cities

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